April 12, 2012

Who IS That Guy?

I'm living at Cambridge (MA) Zen Center for the month of April, enjoying lots of practice, the company of great people and many opportunities to help.

Last week I answered questions after a dharma talk and my answers were recorded, for better or worse. So today, and for the next two Fridays, I'll post clips of my favorite person chattering away.

For many of you, this will provide insight into the person behind the blog (yes, there is a person responsible for this mess). For those who already know me, condolences can be sent to Tom Johnson, Abbot, Cambridge Zen Center.

Thank you for reading Ox Herding. Watch out for the hammer this weekend!

I'm intrigued by the story of Buster and the butting - do you think that Vince's response was also a case of prajna operating? It seems amazaing that he hit the floor so to speak, and then proceeded to do something that responded to the situation in a way which (while violent) was in fact very ram-like? Angry, he easily could have immediately kicked the sheep causing internal injuries, but he got his message across strongly and clearly, hitting the precise spot where Buster would recover...

Just to clarify, I'm not advocating violence, but simply wondering, flavoured by stories of Zen masters hitting ripe disciples at precisely the right spot...

It's difficult to find the right word for the "before-thinking" response. I have found "pre-reflective thought" somewhat helpful, because it acknowledges that even in a spontaneous response, some kind of thought is occurring. That seems to have been the case with the farmer, who had time to go fetch his hammer before responding. But it was not reflective thought, such as that which occurred after his spontaneous action.